Jacksonville reporter responds to backlash over polarizing exchange with Jaguars coach

One of the biggest stories from wild card weekend didn’t take place on the field and the reporter at the center of it all has a message for those lobbing criticism her way. 

Lynn Jones-Turpin bucked traditional press conference procedure, when, instead of asking a question, she used the moment to tell Coen, in his first year as head coach of the Jags, “congratulations on your success, young man.”

The moment has created debate in sports media circles over the appropriateness of her comments and led several journalists to take swipes at Jones-Turpin on social media. 

Appearing on News4Jax, Jones-Turpin was read some of the criticisms and responded. 

“I don’t take no offense to [the criticism],” she said on air. “Listen, I’ve been in this business more than 25 years. I’ve interviewed Barack Obama, Terry Bradshaw, [and] Tiger Woods. So he could say whatever he want about fake news.

“I am a member of the Black Press. NNPA, the National Newspaper [Publishers] Association that’s been around for more than 100 years. … I’m the associate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press, one of the more than 230 African-American newspapers still printing in this country today.”

Journalist Lynn Jones-Turpin speaks about the viral reaction to her interaction with Jaguars coach Liam Cohen. @MLFootball/X

She added: “You can call me fake all you want to, honey. I’ve been doing this a long time.”

The response was in relation to comments made on X by Associated Press reporter Mark Long, who described the moment between Coen and Jones-Turpin as “nothing ‘awesome’ about fans/fake media doing stuff like that.” 

Adam Schefter had posted a clip of the moment on his X account and called it an “awesome post-game exchange.” 

Jones-Turpin has been at the Jacksonville Free Press since 2008, she told News4Jax in a separate interview, and she had also been a member of the Jaguars’ scouting staff as an administrative assistant during their inaugural season in 1995. 

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is praised by reporter after crushing NFL playoffs defeat in polarizing moment.
Jacksonville Jaguars

Jones-Turpin has received plenty of support for her comments from various people, including sports media personality Pat McAfee and Bernice King, the daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In a post online by the Jacksonville Free Press, the outlet noted the virality of the moment while using it to cast a wider lens on the journalism industry. 

“In the end, the reaction to Jones’ remarks may say as much about the evolving expectations of journalism as it does about the moment itself,” the outlet wrote. “As audiences demand both accountability and authenticity, the debate underscores a profession recalibrating in real time—one where rigor and humanity are no longer viewed as opposing forces, but as complementary tools in telling stories that resonate beyond the final score. For the often-overlooked Black press, it shares on a national stage how for over a century they have remained a voice for intentionality with heart.”